Sabretooth had pounced, and Alina morphed into a panther before doing the same.
They met in midair, his claws gripping her shoulders as her teeth caught his shoulder.
Tumbling to the ground, they wrestled into some tables as people scattered, and she changed into a king cobra, biting his arm hard before becoming a cat and running off behind him.
Her opponent growled, clearly not appreciating the venom she tried to stop him with, and turned to pounce on her.
Rolling in a ball, she morphed into a porcupine, a spiked sphere as a defense.
His hands came away with quills, and she jumped to her feet as a wolf, a snarl in his throat as she leapt for the esophagus.
So close, a hair's-breath off, but he knocked her out of the air, smashing her into the floor.
Choking as air was trapped in her lungs, Alina struggled, the lack of oxygen causing her to revert to human form…
Her body went limp, and her lungs tried in vain to pull in air as Sabretooth grinned in triumph.
He was larger, stronger, than her, and it seemed she didn't stand a chance after all…
"Allie?!"
Her eyes snapped open, brain sparking as she registered the voice.
'Sam…'
Sabretooth had caught sight of him too, and her eyes saw the bloodlust in his eyes.
'NO.'
Something in her roared, clawing at her ribcage as it snarled in the human's defense.
He tried to pounce, but she grabbed his ankle as he jumped over her body, morphing into a black bear as she slammed him into the ground.
The brunette man was frozen in terror as she morphed into a gorilla, grappling with Sabretooth.
Alina was kicked off, skidding to a halt before returning to human form on all fours.
"I told you to RUN!"
"I'm not leaving you to get killed!"
His voice trembled a bit, but he seemed determined all the same.
"But YOU will be! Now get the HELL out of here!" She snarled, morphing into a bull and flirting her head dangerously.
"Allie-!"
She snorted, glaring at him before charging horns-first at Sabretooth.
Slamming into his mighty frame as he stood up to meet her, both crashed through the front doors, tumbling onto the white snow outside.
Landing heavily on her side, she became a husky, shakily standing as she shook her fur out.
Panting, she almost stumbled to the side, her shoulders aching as blood continued to stain her fur.
Her vision was shaking, blurring and coming out of focus, and she fell painfully on her side, quaking as the blood loss took full hold.
"Fuck, fuck, FUCK…" She kept mumbling to herself, flickering from dog to cat to bear to bird to frog to dinosaur before settling into human.
The snow wasn't that cold anymore, since it seemed numb compared to her skin, and she barely registered someone lifting her up.
Brain spinning, she looked up, starting to register that the person holding her was BAD…
'Aw FUCK…'
Struggling weakly as blood dripped from her skin and hit the snow, Alina was so close to just giving up…
"ALLIE!"
'Sam always comes at the perfect time…'
Resolve strengthened a bit more, she bit her captor's hand, too weak to revert to any other form.
Blood hit her teeth, but she didn't release her hold, even as Sabretooth slammed her around.
Into snowdrifts, buildings, trees, even stacks of firewood, but she refused to let go.
Not to say she wasn't in PAIN…
She just couldn't really FEEL it…
The sharp tugs stopped, and Alina blinked wearily in confusion before registering Sam's voice again…
"Leave her alone, you bastard! She hasn't DONE anything!"
Gasping with a hand on her throat, she grabbed the offending appendage as she opened her jaws, gasping for air.
"Get out of here!" Alina managed to yell, kicking her legs and, at this point, oblivious to the fact that she was naked.
The man was closer than he had been before, and Sabretooth lashed out with his free hand, slashing open Sam's chest.
"SAM!"
Rage filled her core, and it gave her strength enough to morph into an elephant and ram her assailant a good ways away.
Adrenaline and rage drifted away as she heard trees fall in the distance, and she turned human again, limping over to her fallen friend.
"Sam…? Sam, hold on…"
Desperate even as her own arms shook, she put pressure on the wound, ignoring the blood as she tried to keep her lucid friend awake.
"SAM!"
"A-Allie…?"
Hope lit up her eyes, making them look like twin moons as she nodded.
"I'm here, Sam. Hold on."
Death's shadow had fallen over his face, and Alina shook in fear at the sight…
'No…Not again…'
Footsteps came within hearing range, but she refused to look up at whoever had come to see what was going on…
"…S-Sorry…"
Life left his eyes, and tears scalded her eyes…
"SAM!!!"
The tears escaped her lids with her strength, and she fell to the snow, numb as her skin grew sticky with blood…
'No no NO not again please just leave me alone I can't take it anymore…'
Glazed eyes watched the shadow of a form over her, a faint, unfamiliar voice telling her to stay awake…
'I can't I'm sorry just let me sleep I'm too weak TOO WEAK…'
Darkness flooded her inside, drowning her in silence…